Gossip/Celebrity News

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JoJo Defends Her Visit to Hyde

Fifteen-year-old singer JoJo, who caused a mini-scandal in October when she was spotted at L.A.'s Hyde Lounge, says her visit to the hot spot was totally innocent.

"I didn't know it was 21 and over," she told PEOPLE at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles. "It's a freakin' restaurant and I was there with my mom and two other underage friends. I had milk and cookies! I wasn't drinking alcohol."

And even though she says her evening at Hyde "was great," don't expect to see her hitting the nightclub circuit any time soon. "It's not really my thing. I just dipped my toes (in the scene)."

The singer (real name: Joanna Levesque), who turns 16 on Dec. 20, is more excited about a typical teenager's milestone: getting her driver's license. "I getting my permit next month," she told PEOPLE. "I've been practicing. I'm an excellent driver. I'm not going to lie. My uncle and my friends have been teaching me. Shhh, don't tell my mom! She's afraid, but it's going good."

JoJo recently landed a Top 10 hit with "Too Little Too Late," the first single off her second album, The High Road, and has been compared to Mariah Carey and Beyoncé (whom she calls "my biggest role model").

She tells PEOPLE in its new issue that some of her fans can be a little too devoted: "It's weird when fans follow me into the bathroom. And once I was fighting with a boy at dinner and someone came up to us. I smiled and put on a happy face. Then we resumed our fight."

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Freddy Rodriguez: Life After Death

Still mourning the end of Six Feet Under? Rejoice: Freddy Rodriguez is back.

Since shedding Federico Diaz’s latex gloves last year, the married father of two has worked on several films, including Bobby and Harsh Times (now playing). The actor, 31, talked to PEOPLE about his big-screen rebirth.

Bobby has quite a cast. How was it being part of a stellar ensemble?
Emilio called out of nowhere about it, and I was like, "Wow, Emilio Estevez, man!" You're intimidated meeting Sharon (Stone), Laurence (Fishburne), Demi (Moore) – Demi was a big part of my teenage-hood. I tried to play it cool, but internally I was screaming.

What drew you to the role – a witness to Bobby Kennedy’s 1968 shooting?
You see (in the iconic photo of the assassination) that the moment (after) he was shot, out of all the people in the room, the one person kneeling down next to Robert F. Kennedy was this busboy. A busboy! He put his own safety on the line to kneel with a dying man. It just blew my mind.

That’s a tough act to follow. What’s next?
I’m doing Grind House, a Quentin Tarantino-Robert Rodriguez collaboration. I did gun training, knife training, fight choreography. Thank God I have a dance background, so when it came down to the fight choreography, I could do it.

Were you a backup dancer? Like K-Fed?
I was! Not to the level of K-Fed, but I did some backup dancing in (my hometown of) Chicago. I think I can still do the running man!

Any teen comedies coming up, like your role in 1998's cult fave Can't Hardly Wait?
You know what? I’m proud of Can't Hardly Wait?! You watch that movie and it’s the Fast Times at Ridgemont High of our generation.

What does Elsie, your wife of 11 years, think of your new status as a movie star?
She deserves this a lot more than I do. She’s an incredible woman who made huge sacrifices for the sake of my career. I’d be a freakin’ loser in Chicago somewhere if it weren’t for her.

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Ashley Judd Talks About Her Passion Project

Ashley Judd has one film in theaters (Come Early Morning) and another on the way (Bug, due in early 2007) – but it's her role as activist that has her most excited.

In May, Judd, 38, traveled to Central America as a global ambassador for YouthAIDS, a nonprofit dedicated to educating young people around the world about HIV/AIDS. Now a documentary about her trip, Ashley Judd and YouthAIDS: Confronting the Pandemic, is set to debut on TLC on Dec. 1.

The film, which airs on World AIDS Day, chronicles Judd's journey – along with pal and fellow YouthAIDS ambassador Salma Hayek – through communities in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua that have been devastated by HIV/AIDS.

"All the conditions are perfectly in place for an HIV/AIDS emergency on the scale of Africa to erupt," Judd tells PEOPLE of Central America.

Judd joined the fight against AIDS in 2001 after receiving calls from Project (RED) co-founders Bobby Shriver and Bono. "(U2's) music has been absolutely fundamental to my development as an activist," she says. "It's always great when Bono calls, for obvious reasons."

Since then, Judd has visited nine countries with YouthAIDS. This is her second documentary for the group; the first was Tracking the Monster Ashley Judd and India.Arie Confront AIDS in Africa.

In the new doc, Judd comes face to face with the disease in hospices, clinics, brothels and slums. Taking care of herself in the face of such difficult realities, Judd says, is important, and something she's better prepared to do since seeking treatment for depression in February.

"I have so many more tools now," she says. "My self-care is really good."

She also gains strength from her husband of five years, racecar driver Dario Franchitti, 33. "He is so supportive in just the right way," she says. "Pitch-perfect."

Judd will travel to India with YouthAIDS in March. For more information on YouthAIDS, visit http://projects.psi.org/. Ashley Judd and YouthAIDS: Confronting the Pandemic airs Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on TLC.

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Dancing's Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff Getting Cozier

While Mario Lopez and his Dancing with the Stars partner Karina Smirnoff are still playing coy about a rumored romance, the show's runner-up couple are spending a Mexico vacation together after celebrating Thanksgiving with Lopez's sister in Houston.

"We're definitely overdue for a break," Lopez, 33, told PEOPLE while sitting knee-to-knee with Smirnoff during a celebrity stopover in San Antonio's Club Posh. "I want to take a little time off, go to Mexico."

By Sunday the partners were heading south of the border, a source close to Lopez confirmed to PEOPLE.
Lopez called his connection to the Ukrainian-born Smirnoff, who is recognized as a world-class Latin-style dancer, "a very special relationship."

"It's very flattering when people want to see us together and like to see us be together," he said about the romantic sparks that viewers saw as the two sambaed their way to a second-place finish this month on Dancing (Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke won the competition). "We're great friends and very supportive of each other."

Lopez and Smirnoff arrived in San Antonio on Friday night, and on Saturday greeted thousands of fans.

Their appearance was on behalf of the charity Any Baby Can, a non-profit organization that benefits severely disabled children. Lopez agreed to participate after one of his friends told him about her own disabled child who had been helped by the organization for eight years.

The charitable work also likely gave Lopez a chance to relax a bit: His last weekend was spent in Las Vegas – partying with Britney Spears.

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William and Harry Planning Diana Concert

Prince William and Prince Harry are planning a charity rock concert in England next year to honor their mother, Princess Diana, on the 10th anniversary of her death.

If it goes ahead, the concert will likely take place on July 1, which would have been Diana's 46th birthday, at London's soon-to-be-reopened Wembley Stadium.

Names that have been floated to perform at the event include The Killers (who are said to be a favorite of William, 24, and Harry, 22), Beyoncé and Pharrell Williams, who met William at a polo match in July.

Elton John, Sting, Phil Collins and George Michael are also likely to be invited to perform, according to reports.

A royal source tells PEOPLE, "People will mark the anniversary in many different ways. But whatever William and Harry decide to do will be their call and what they want. They will set the tone. Both of them are very firm about that."

The princes' communications secretary, Paddy Harverson, tells PEOPLE a concert is one of the ideas being thrown forward. "It is one of a number of options being considered for how to commemorate next year. But we are not ready to confirm anything yet."

Diana died in a car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997, along with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and their driver Henri Paul. According to the Associated Press, retired senior judge Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss is holding an inquest into the deaths and is awaiting a report on the crash by Lord John Stevens, former head of London's Metropolitan Police.

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Pamela Anderson, Kid Rock to Divorce

Pamela Anderson has filed for divorce from Kid Rock, her rep has confirmed to PEOPLE.

"Pamela filed for divorce last week," Anderson's rep, Tracy Nguyen tells PEOPLE. "It wasn't a happy Thanksgiving." A rep for Rock had no comment.

On Monday, Anderson posted the following message on her Web site:

1/27/2006
Divorce
Yes, it's true.
Unfortunately impossible.

In fact, Anderson, 39, and Rock, 35, both filed divorce petitions Monday, each citing irreconcilable differences, but they gave different dates of separation. Anderson's papers said they separated before Thanksgiving weekend, on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2006, while Rock – who filed under his real name, Robert Ritchie – said they separated on Sunday, Nov. 26. No reasons were given for the discrepancy.

Both ask that the court not get involved in awarding spousal support.

The couple held their first wedding ceremony on July 29 on a yacht in St. Tropez. In a note posted on her Web site the following day, Anderson described the nuptials as "The best most romantic wedding of all time."

They later made it legal on Aug. 3 at a Beverly Hills courthouse, and held a third, surprise wedding on Aug. 17 onstage at Nashville's Tootsie's Orchid Lounge.

Earlier this month, Anderson's rep confirmed that the actress had suffered a miscarriage while in Vancouver filming the movie Blonde and Blonder.

The marriage was Anderson's second; she was married to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee from 1995 to 1998 and has two sons with him – Brandon, 10, and Dylan, 8. Rock has a 13-year-old son, Bob Jr., with former flame Kelley South Russell.

Anderson and Rock had dated and broken up before: They first got together in spring 2001, became engaged in April 2002 and then split in June 2003.

Rock and Anderson in St. Tropez

Photo by: MALIBU MEDIA
They rekindled their romance this July when they ran into each other in St. Tropez on a yacht owned by a mutual friend. "It was like we'd never been apart," Rock told PEOPLE on July 11. Although they weren't expecting to see each other, "it turned out great. She had the kids there and it was so nice to see them and it was wonderful. Love her to death."

Anderson revealed on July 18 that she and Rock were planning to wed, writing on her Web site: "I've raised my kids alone in hope of a miracle. Well my miracle came and went. And came back and came back because he knew that I'd wake up one day and realize that I was waiting for nothing. I'm moving on ... I feel like I'm finally free ... I'm in love. I'm happy."

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Mark Burnett and Roma Downey Engaged

Reality television producer Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice) and Touched by an Angel actress Roma Downey got engaged over the holiday weekend, PEOPLE has confirmed.

"The couple has never been happier," their rep, Jim Dowd, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "They're sharing their joy and excitement with their children and their families."

Burnett, 46, got down on his knee and proposed to Downey, 46, on a moonlit beach in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, where the couple were spending a Thanksgiving vacation.

Downey's 10-year-old daughter Reilly from a previous marriage and Burnett's sons James, 13, and Cameron, 9, also from a previous marriage, were present when Burnett proposed.

"I have found my angel," Burnett tells PEOPLE of Downey.

The couple had been Malibu neighbors for years when they started dating in January 2004. "I think we were both deliciously ignorant of each other," Downey told PEOPLE in June of that year, "and so when we met, we didn't bring any preconceived notions of who the other person was. The attraction was very real."

After spending nine years on Touched by an Angel, acting in a series of TV movies and doing worldwide charity work, Downey said, "I thought I really needed to slow down and adjust to my new life, which is life after Touched by an Angel, and it's interesting that I made the choice to slow down when I met the busiest man in show business!"

"We are people with similar backgrounds," Burnett told PEOPLE in 2004. "We are both from Great Britain and both living in Malibu and we both have kids. And we laugh all the time. We laugh all the time because we come from blue-collar families, so I tell her things she hasn't heard in years, and then she will tell friends, who won't even get that commonality, so we'll laugh even more."

Added Downey, "He's a super guy and we have a lovely time. We have children the same age so it's a very inclusive relationship. We travel together as a little group."

Burnett and Downey plan to marry in 2007. No date has been set yet.

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Jessica Biel and Derek Jeter Heat Up Las Vegas

New couple alert? Jessica Biel and Derek Jeter spent the weekend after Thanksgiving cozying up all over Las Vegas.

At Wynn Las Vegas's Tryst nightclub Saturday night, the pair snuck kisses at the VIP table they shared with Jeter's New York Yankees teammates Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi.

The next evening, Jeter, 32, and Biel, 24, played blackjack at Palms Casino Resort's Mint Lounge before dinner with two friends at the Palms' Nine restaurant.

They capped off the night with a visit to Hard Rock's Body English nightclub, where they snuggled, traded pecks on the cheek and were in general "very lovey dovey" in their VIP booth, says a clubgoer.

The duo have been spotted out before: At Social Hollywood on Nov. 15, "They looked like they were on a date," according to one onlooker. But asked later if he was single, Jeter told PEOPLE, "Hell, yes!"

A rep for Jeter had no comment; Biel's rep did not return calls for comment.

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Christian Slater Divorce Finalized

Christian Slater's divorce from estranged wife Ryan Haddon has been finalized, according to legal documents obtained by PEOPLE.

Previously, Slater was seeking joint custody of their 5-year-old daughter Eliana and 7-year-old son Jaden, but it's unclear how that issue was resolved.

Slater, 37, and Haddon, 35, a TV producer, married in 2000 and separated in January 2005.

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Britney to Host Vegas New Year's Bash

Newly single Britney Spears is confirmed to host a New Year's Eve party at Las Vegas' Pure Nightclub, a club spokesperson tells PEOPLE.

Spears, who turns 25 this Saturday, seems to have taken a shine to Sin City since filing for divorce from husband Kevin Federline. Earlier this month, she arrived in Las Vegas and teamed up with Paris Hilton, among others, for some serious partying – staying out until 5:30 a.m. one night. (Spears and Hilton have since taken their club-hopping to Hollywood, spending almost every night together during Thanksgiving week.)

For Spears, this New Year's Eve is shaping up to be a bit different than last year's. The pop star appeared in public only briefly last Dec. 31, as she was spotted leaving a local restaurant in Malibu with then 3-month-old son Sean Preston.

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Britney and Paris to Co-Host Billboard Awards

New best friends Britney Spears and Paris Hilton are taking their act onstage: The pair will co-host next week's Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, a source confirms to PEOPLE.

"There are no plans for either to perform, but they will host the event together," says a show source. "They’ll be fun onstage together."

Among those performing will be Janet Jackson – who will open the show – Gwen Stefani, Mary J. Blige, Ludacris, and the Fray. Carrie Underwood, Carmen Electra, Dave Navarro, Vanessa Minnillo, and Katharine McPhee are among the celebs making special appearances.

Finalists are expected to be announced shortly.

The 2006 Billboard Music Awards will air live on FOX Monday at 8 p.m. ET from Las Vegas’s MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Spears, who turns 25 on Saturday, is quickly establishing Las Vegas as her second home: She's also confirmed to host a New Year's Eve party at Pure Nightclub, a club spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE Tuesday.

It's also the city where she and Hilton first forged their newfound friendship. Earlier this month, the pair met up and partied in Las Vegas, before doing more club-hopping in Los Angeles over Thanksgiving weekend.

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COVER STORY: Is Prince William Ready to Wed?

The top sport in England these days isn't football or polo – it's guessing when Prince William will finally get engaged to his longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton and start the countdown to what would be the wedding of the century.

Now into their fifth year as an absurdly attractive couple, Will and Kate, both 24, have lately seemed so snuggly – and Kate so seamlessly ingrained into Will's inner circle of friends and family – that the engagement gossip is getting as hot as a pot of Earl Grey.

Britain's Mail on Sunday even reported last week that Kate has been invited to the Queen's country retreat Sandringham to join the entire Windsor clan for Christmas Day lunch – an unprecedented honor for an unmarried partner of a royal and, if true, said one royal observer, tantamount to an engagement announcement. (Buckingham Palace won't confirm the invitation.)

There is also the 10,000-sq.-ft. neo-Georgian mansion being built by the royal family on part of a 900-acre estate in a village in Herefordshire, which many believe is being readied for Will and Kate.

"It's decision time," says Robert Jobson, author of a new book about the couple, William's Princess. "Will has said he doesn't want to get married until he is 28, but that is just a smoke screen. The pressure starts now."

So just how close is Will to popping the question? Those in the know at Buckingham Palace say no one is ordering "Save the Date" cards just yet and insist Kate isn't being formally groomed for the future.

"There are no people advising her or preparing her for anything," says one palace insider. "She is going about her private life as a private individual."

Friends of the couple say that Will, known for his stubborn streak, won't let anyone dictate a time frame – but also acknowledge an engagement is no longer a matter of if but rather when.

"This is certainly not something they are going to rush into," family friend tells PEOPLE. "But their relationship is very strong."

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Danny DeVito's Disheveled View Appearance

Danny DeVito is reaching out to Barbara Walters after an unhinged appearance on The View on Wednesday and a late night out with George Clooney.

DeVito put in a call to The View creator and co-host Walters but has yet to speak with her about his visit to the ABC show, DeVito's publicist, Stan Rosenfield, tells PEOPLE. He plans on trying to call again this evening.

During the broadcast, DeVito, 62, slurred his words, told rambling stories and at one point sat on Rosie O'Donnell's lap. After admitting he'd been out with Clooney all night, he told the show's co-hosts with a wry smile, "I knew it was the last seven limoncellos that was going to get me."

Rosenfield had no comment on speculation that DeVito, who was there to promote Deck the Halls, was drunk while on the air, and tells ABC that the actor has never had a drinking problem.

On the air, the hosts asked if DeVito had been to sleep, but he mumbled the response, "I don't know." He then embarked on a long and winding tale about having once spent the night in the Lincoln bedroom in the White House and attempted, with his wife Rhea Perlman, to "really wreck the joint."

At one point his words were bleeped after apparently using an obscenity when talking about President Bush.

O’Donnell and co-host Joy Behar seemed amused for the most part, although Walters was visibly impatient, rolling her eyes when DeVito was talking about the President.

"Listen, can we talk about this movie?" she said after the White House story.

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Popular Wiggles Singer Quits Due to Health Woes

Greg Page, who performs as the Yellow Wiggle in the hugely successful Australian preschool band The Wiggles, is leaving the group due to a chronic health condition.

Page suffers from Orthostatic Intolerance, a condition that affects balance, breathing and coordination, the band says in a press release. The condition, which is related to blood-pressure issues, is not considered life-threatening.

Former understudy Sam Moran will replace Page as the Yellow Wiggle.

Page, 34, was a founding member of the Wiggles and has been playing with the group for 15 years.

"This emotional decision was one which was very difficult, as I have dedicated almost half my life to the Wiggles," he says. "With a question mark over my health, I feel that this is the right decision. I will miss The Wiggles and the other guys very much, as well as seeing all the children in the audiences that we perform in front of."

Wiggles performances combine live action and audience participation, with the help from a variety of costumed characters.

The band has sold more than 20 million videos worldwide and play more than 200 live shows annually. They also appear twice a day on the Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney programming block.

Murray Cook, the Red Wiggle, expressed his sadness about his bandmate's departure. "We've been through many adventures together. We will miss Greg as a superb singer, performer and songwriter, but mostly we'll miss him on the road as a friend and ally. We wish him well in dealing with his illness and in future."

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Laura Bush Unveils White House Christmas Decor

What does it take to turn the White House into a winter wonderland? Try 4,638 red ornament balls, 17 Christmas trees, 269 wreaths and 1,089 feet of garland.

"This is a beautiful old house to decorate for Christmas," First Lady Laura Bush told the press corps on Thursday as she unveiled this year's "Deck the Halls and Welcome All"-themed dressing up of the executive mansion.

With pastry chef Roland Mesnier "back by popular" demand and responsible for an elaborate gingerbread White House, Mrs. Bush pointed out the finer points of his high-caloric creation – complete with miniature recreations of family pets Barney and Miss Beazley and 800 hand-piped icing snowflakes.

"Everything is edible," said Mrs. Bush, though cautioning, "not that I would suggest anybody break off a piece."

She next revealed the Blue Room – with the official 18.5-ft. Douglas fir, a gift from Francis and Margaret Botek of the Crystal Spring Tree Farm in Lehighton, Pa. – before leading the tour into the East Room, where a buffet table featured faux firs and polished silver tureens waiting to welcome the first round of holiday guests Thursday evening.

Describing this year's buffet spreads, Mrs. Bush said they included a few less traditional items, such as Bush family favorites chicken fried steak and tamales. Other items on the menu include ham, lollipop lamb chops, stuffed turkey breast, sweet potato soufflé and asparagus.

In all, the President and Mrs. Bush will be greeting 10,000 guests during 24 parties spread over 20 days as they wrap up their sixth Christmas in the White House.

Mrs. Bush said that her family, as it has every year, put up its own tree in the private quarters and decorated it with ornaments they've assembled since twins Jenna and Barbara were babies. Among the personal decorations, she said, is her collection of nativity scenes, along with pieces from abroad during her world travels.

Mrs. Bush also said that she wanted to send all the troops and their families "our love and our respect," and she praised the many community efforts to show support for those serving in the war.